bigly

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points: 11
Words With Friends: 13
Letters: 5

Pronunciation

/ˈbɪɡ.li/

Definition of bigly

5 senses · 2 parts of speech · etymology included

adv

(archaic)In a big way, greatly; to a great extent, on a large scale.

“He looked at Mrs. Harling, who loomed bigly in the dull light.”
“Big Bessie's feet hurt like nobody's business, / but she stands—bigly—under the unruly scrutiny, stands in the wild weed.”
“I have only one real (and ridiculous) reason—the reflection of my awestruck 5 year old face in a head mirror. […] I gripped my mother's hand while she spoke to a big voice from a big face from a big man in a big white coat. He suddenly stopped and turned his big eyes on me. I dug my nails into my mother's hand. He reached out his big hand over the menacing silver array on his desk. I closed my eyes tightly. He said something … bigly.”
“I will bigly, hugely admit that I was wrong”
“In the light and air the shadows of the clouds move bigly over the baby's arms.”

See all 5 definitions

adv

(archaic)In a big way, greatly; to a great extent, on a large scale.

“He looked at Mrs. Harling, who loomed bigly in the dull light.”
“Big Bessie's feet hurt like nobody's business, / but she stands—bigly—under the unruly scrutiny, stands in the wild weed.”
“I have only one real (and ridiculous) reason—the reflection of my awestruck 5 year old face in a head mirror. […] I gripped my mother's hand while she spoke to a big voice from a big face from a big man in a big white coat. He suddenly stopped and turned his big eyes on me. I dug my nails into my mother's hand. He reached out his big hand over the menacing silver array on his desk. I closed my eyes tightly. He said something … bigly.”
“I will bigly, hugely admit that I was wrong”
“In the light and air the shadows of the clouds move bigly over the baby's arms.”
(archaic)Strongly, with great force.

“Thesse men did much in order to publicke good, befor they spake biglie; bot done nothing since, saue that they haue drawin away considerable forces, raissed at wast charges for the publicke defence.”
“It was well obſerved by the late pious Dr Doddridge, that "The eternal ſalvation of one ſoul is of far greater importance, and bigly pregnant with far greater events, than the temporal ſalvation, wealth, well-being, or happiness of a whole kingdom, though it were for the ſpace of ten thouſand, or of ten millions of ages;[…]"”
“Tell me about The Mamas & Papas^([sic]), Bob. I believe you’re backing them very bigly, and they’re great. I believe you're backing them.”
“And he [Henry David Thoreau] was very strong to, for the, for the—against slavery. He was very bigly against that. Slavery was going on in America, enslaving the black people.”
(archaic)In a blustering or boastful manner; haughtily, pompously.

“Would'ſt thou not rather chooſe a ſmall renown, / To be the mayor of ſome poor paltry town, / Bigly to look, and barbarouſly to ſpeak; / To pound falſe weights, and ſcanty meaſures break?”
“In any event, he adopted the whole of [William] Lauder's malignity; and let his partisans first clear him of this offense before they talk bigly of his innocence, and bluster in his cause.”

adj

(humorous, nonstandard)Big league.

“It had been the very bestest of bigly weekends. Two rounds of golf at his very own course in Turnberry.”
(Scotland)Habitable, liveable; hence delightful, pleasant, pleasing.

“"And steek it weel, thy biglie bower, / And by the rood thee sain; / And tell thy bedes in haly guise, / Till this ae night is gane!"”
“When I was in my bigly bower, / I wore but what I would; / This night I'm lighter 'mang Willie's horse feet, / I fear I'll die for cold.”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Middle English bygly, byggly, biggely. By surface analysis, big (“of great size, large (adjective); to a large extent, on a large scale; hard (adverb)”) + -ly.